Governance & Ethics

The two-day programme is divided into two modules – Corporate Governance and Slippery Slope – Ethics. The modules can be either taken together or separately depending on the participant’s needs.

The Corporate Governance module is designed to help new or prospective directors of financial institutions appreciate the evolution of corporate governance and understand why there is no one solution to achieving good governance. Directors are introduced to risk and Red Flags so they can evaluate the drivers of risk and identify typical Red Flags, providing them with early warnings of trouble to come. They are also introduced to the ‘FIDE Handbook on Good Governance’ and shown how to use it as an aide memoire when preparing for board meetings. An integral part of the programme is a video case study of a board audit committee getting itself into serious trouble with the regulators despite thinking they are making the right decisions. The programme closes with a discussion of the role of the Board and the best ways for Boards to interface with management.

Ever since the Global Financial Crisis questions have been raised about what is wrong with the ethical foundations of financial institutions, at least in the US and Europe. The Ethics module looks specifically at the issues of ethics in a banking and insurance context, challenging board members and the top management team to think through how to apply different ethical frameworks to their business to ensure that the ‘Tone at the Top’ is appropriate so that they can maintain, or if needed rebuild, the trust that is essential if their organisations are to prosper long term.